As the General
Assembly pivots and careens between what is fiscally effective and what might
be unconstitutional, former Governor Thompson provides the same kind of
simplistic thinking and thievery that characterized his own administration’s
total disregard for the public sector workers and the pension protection clause
that was sculpted to protect them from voracious, unethical politicians like
“Big Jim Thompson.”

Many sensible
legislators and economists have started looking at possible systemic problems
with the revenue structure in Illinois, one of less than eight states that rely
on an antiquated flat tax rate system.
In fact, our neighbor Iowa has a graduated system that would provide our
own state with additional billions of dollars, but not enough in the General
Assembly seem ready to embrace that kind of forward thinking.

Back to the Future: Big Jim would avoid any alterations in the
current revenue stream – no transaction taxes, no service taxes, no graduated
income tax, repeal of the 2% increase, etc.

Instead, Big Jim
suggests we stop “demonizing the public employees” and then “abolish the
compounding cost-of-living adjustments.”
He also urges the State of Illinois increase employee contributions,
force simple interest cost of living, and increase health care costs. What?

Thanks, “BIG
JIM,” the administrative manager who reduced our pensions by running the
unfunded liability with a roller-coaster funding record from a high of approximately 90
percent then down to 30 percent.

In the end,
Thompson issues his audience a challenge.
Nope, it’s not to find the Tylenol killer that Big Jim and Ty Fahner
lost in ineptitude. Nope, it’s not the
renewed analysis of DNA for Gregory Dotson and the underwear that Jim used to
wave in front of cameras – before Dotson was released.

It is instead to
threaten any legislator who plans to do “nothing” about pension reform. Thompson suggests we give our political
donations to groups that run attack ads against those who do nothing about pensions. “’I'm going to contribute to a group that's
going to run attack ads against legislators who do nothing about the pension
crisis,' that would get their attention."

But here is the
biggest and possibly most laughable rewrite of history from Big Jim one could
ever imagine: “The point is, people in this state have allowed things to go so
far that some public officials think they can get away with anything. And they
have. And let's stop pointing our fingers about who's responsible for this —
the Legislature, the governor, the public employees. It's irrelevant. They're
all responsible. And we're all responsible.”

About Me

I am a retiree, political activist, social advocate and community volunteer. I taught at Lyons Township High School in LaGrange for 34 years in the Language Arts classroom and worked as an administrator for several years. My current avocations include various community outreach and assistance programs. Having benefitted from employment in a collegial, reflective teaching environment that encouraged dedication and professionalism, I continue to seek the promotion of education at all levels as a long-term effort combining talent, perseverance, commitment, and constant professional growth - not a blind adherence to a business model of measured production.

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